Front Flips and Heart Throbs
by Cheetah Goddess
Summary: Summoning up the courage, Jun finally asks Hikari out on a date. Can he work up the courage to tell Hikari how he really feels about her? -Oneshot, Twinleafshipping, Based on the Diamond Pearl game JunxHikari-DamionxDawn-RivalxHeroine-


"The circus? Why do you want to go to the circus all of the sudden?" Hikari stared at her best friend Jun, slightly confused by the blond's abnormally demure behavior. She fiddled with her pink flannel pajamas self-consciously; he had shown up at her door so early that she hadn't had time to change out of them. Of course, her definition of "early" was completely different from Jun's, who seemed to rise with the sun every day.

The boy scratched his head, amber eyes everywhere except on her. "Well…" He opened his mouth, seemingly struggling to find the words he wanted to say. "…um, well, they _ARE_ in town today…so……um…so, I thought that maybe me and you could maybe go together because itkindalooksfunandintresting, ya know?!" His words picked up considerably in tempo into an indistinguishable blur as he continued to speak; he was breathless from the effort after he had finished.

Hikari struggled for a moment to absorb the rush of words, face lighting up after she finally managed to process the information. "Oh! Well, I guess it does sound fun. I've actually been thinking of going, myself…" She paused, thinking for a moment. "…okay! You said the show starts at seven o' clock tonight?" He nodded vigorously in response, finding himself too tongue-tied to answer. "Well then, it's a _date_!" She giggled, closing the door. "See you at six thirty!"

The word 'date' hit Jun like a boot to the head. Of course, a date was what he was _actually _aiming for under the surface, but to hear Hikari say it out loud only made it seem more…official. Like it was an actual date instead of just a normal night out between friends.

He sighed, rubbing his face as he walked the few feet back to his own house. No matter how many times he tried, he could never manage to find the right time to tell Hikari how he really felt about her. Well, if he was really being honest with himself, he was just being a wussy. He and Hikari had been friends for too long; he didn't want to jeopardize the friendship that he held so dear. He didn't know, nor did he like to think about, what he would do if she ended up rejecting him.

He slapped his cheeks, trying to calm himself before he walked into his house. It wasn't like him to worry about things! He was supposed to be the loose cannon; the outspoken, fearless, and amazing Jun! He chuckled half-heartedly to himself, opening the front door and trudging slowly up the stairs to his room. If he was so fearless, why couldn't he even manage to look Hikari in the eye anymore?

He rested his head against his bedroom door, slumping dejectedly. "Gah! I'm pathetic!" Self-loathing rose in his chest, making his heart heavy. Jun and Hikari had been best friends the moment he had moved to Twinleaf Town years ago with his family, after his father had decided to settle down a bit.

Now that both of them were sixteen, their relationship had stayed the same, which was both a good and bad thing. He wanted something more, but did Hikari feel the same way? Thinking about it only made him want to rip his hair out. "Damn teenage hormones! This is nothing! _Nothing_! Just a simple trip to the circus!"

But…He couldn't help but smile. It may only be a simple outing to the circus in many eyes, but to him, it was so much more.

* * *

Jun tugged at the green tie currently cutting off his air-supply, a bit peeved. He suspected his parents had their own suspicions about this 'date.' When he had gone back into his room earlier that morning, the ensemble he was currently wearing was mysteriously laid out neatly on his not-so-neat bed. He had tried to ask his mother about it, but got the usual, "oh, but it'll look so nice on you," response that all mothers seemed to have in their arsenal of soft-spoken threats. His father had even flown into town for the occasion, giving Jun multiple pats on the back and ambiguous words of encouragement.

Now that he thought about it, it was pretty mysterious how the flyer about the circus managed to place itself in front of the television screen a few days ago…

He did have to admit, he felt pretty sharp in the crisp black pants and the green-striped, long-sleeved, button-up shirt his mom had chosen for him. However, he did have his limits. After reassuring himself that he was out of the range of his parent's all-seeing eyes, he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, unbuttoned a few of the buttons on his shirt, and untied the dreadful tie, letting it hang free around his neck.

Jun leaned against the road sign, checking his watch for the umpteenth time. It was a few minutes after the designated time, and he was getting a bit antsy. He had been stationed there for a good hour, unable to sit at home and simply wait. He tried to occupy himself, running a hand over his carefully arranged spikes of hair, making sure everything was still in place.

"Juuun!"

He spun around, spotting Hikari running toward him, waving happily. He couldn't decide if he was underdressed or overdressed; she looked so natural in her strapless green dress, which was splayed with a white flower pattern. The dress danced around her knees, and she wore a simple white jacket over top of the dress, her slightly curled blue-black hair cascading over her shoulders.

She stopped in front of Jun, panting a bit. "Haaa, haaa…Sorry I'm late…I was worried I would be too overdressed for the circus…Hey, we match!"

Jun snapped back to Earth; he had been unconsciously mesmerized by her. "Huh? Oh, yeah, we do…" His words faded uselessly into the air; he was still rendered speechless by her very presence.

Hikari stuck her hand on her hips, pouting slightly. "What, no fine?" She smirked, putting a hand to her chin mockingly. "Maybe I should be late more often if there's no consequences…"

He could feel a familiar smile spreading across her face, the self-consciousness he had felt disappearing almost instantly. "Oh, don't worry! I'll get you back later for this!" He grabbed her hand, heart doing flips at the feel of her warm skin against his. "Now, come on! If we're late, I'll never forgive you!" He dragged her behind him in his mad dash, the both of them filling the night with laughter.

* * *

"Oh! Remember when that woman and that man were flying in the sky with the Beautifly and Butterfree wings? That was so pretty!"

"Yeah! I still think the coolest part was when those Alakazam used Psychic to levitate those huge bubbles of water!"

"And then the Milotic and the Dewgong started swimming through them? Amazing!"

The two of them sat across from each other at a small pizza parlor near the place they had just left, chatting happily amongst themselves.

Hikari ran her finger around the edge of her drink, flushed with happiness. "Being in the circus looks like so much fun! Maybe I'll stop being Champion and ask them if I can join!"

Jun laughed, spitting out the straw he had been chewing on. "Yeah, because you do _so _much work as the Champion now! Technically, Shirona is still the Champion.

She stuck her tongue at him. "Spoilsport."

"Heh, that's usually my line!"

"Yeah, whatever, wild-boy!" She flicked a piece of ice at him, but missed horribly. It zoomed harmlessly past the blond's ear, landing in the shirt of the patron behind them.

Both of them ducked under the table simultaneously, trying in vain to stifle their giggles. When they were sure the coast was clear, they slinked back into their seats, still laughing.

Hikari sighed happily, sipping on her drink. "I wish more stuff like this would come to town. It's really nice not having to fly all day to some place livelier to have some fun."

Jun shrugged, stretching himself out on the booth. "Hey, that's what we get for living way out in the boonies, I guess."

"I guess…We have had some good times out here, though."

"True. Living in a small town has its benefits…Hey, remember that time your mom took us Berry picking?"

Hikari giggled. "Yeah, and then you ran off after that Munclax who kept stealing all our Berries, and ended up getting lost in the forest all night!"

Jun laughed, remembering the night. "I did get the Berries back though, didn't I? But boy, was dad angry at me…"

Hikari snorted, pushing away her empty glass. "That wasn't the last time he got angry at you, either…There was the time you tried to bring that Poocheana pup home, but ended up being chased by its mother…then the time you tried to catch a ride on that trainer's Tauros…and don't forget the infamous Starly incident…"

Jun chucked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "Hey, not all my adventures ended in disaster!"

She smiled, waving her hand at him playfully. "Right, right…I guess you didn't always screw things up. You sure did make living in this town interesting, though!" She smiled fondly at him. "I mean, if you never came to Twinleaf Town, I probably would have never become a Pokémon Trainer."

Jun leaned in, surprised. "Really?"

Hikari nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I never was interested in things like adventures until you moved into town…jeez, think of all the things I wouldn't have seen, the people I wouldn't have met…"

Jun's smile froze. "Y-yeah…That would be a shame." He looked at the napkin dispenser, staring at his amber eyes in the reflection. It was true that they both had met a lot of people on their adventures, and made a few new friends. They both had became close with a boy named Kouki in particular, which was fine and all…Jun did like Kouki, and they still would get together and hang out when the boy wasn't busy helping Dr. Nanakamado, the Pokémon expert from the town over, with his research.

But…Jun knew that Hikari had once had a crush on Kouki. She had mentioned it to him once when they had first met the boy. Of course, that was a few years back, and he never figured out if anything had come of it…but that had been one of the worse times of his life. He had been so terrified that he would loose her forever.

The waitress finally brought their pizza over, setting the huge plate between the two.

"Gosh, I'm so hungry!" Hikari grabbed the biggest piece of the pizza, taking a big bite. A split second later, she stuck out her tongue, letting the pizza slide out of her open mouth and onto her plate. "Dah! Hawt! Ish ooo hawt!"

Jun couldn't help himself; he started to laugh hysterically at her expression, his whole body shaking. The girl scowled at him for a second, the started to chuckle, soon laughing uncontrollably along with him.

The easy conversation continued throughout the night, neither of them seeming to run out of things to say. Jun completely forgot about his former awkwardness, chatting with Hikari like he had always done.

* * *

After a brief skirmish over the remaining piece of pizza (which Hikari had won), the two of them pitched in to pay for the meal, deciding to call it a night. They walked side by side through the streets, laughing together and feeling carefree.

When they drew closer to Hikari's house, the conversation faded, silence falling between the two. Jun walked Hikari up to her door, the butterflies in his stomach clocking in once again, working overtime.

Hikari turned to Jun, illuminated by the small lights over the front door. "Well, that was fun! I'm really glad you invited me!"

"Y-yeah…" An immense battle was taking place in Jun's head.

"We should go out and do stuff like this more often."

He couldn't risk destroying what he had…

"Maybe we could go visit Snowpoint this weekend…"

…but she was so beautiful…

"…or we could take a trip to the Underground…"

…he loved her so much…

"…or even go to the Battle Tower together!"

…he couldn't risk losing her…

"It would be so much fun!"

…he shouldn't risk loosing her…

"Well, I guess I'll see you later."

…but…

"Good-night, Jun!"

…but…

"Thanks again for the invite!"

He grabbed her arm as she started to turn away, pulling her close to him. In seconds, his mouth found hers, his whole body tingling at the sensation. It was like his body was working on auto-pilot; suddenly, his hands found themselves at her waist, squeezing her tighter as their lips mingled together. He had been waiting so long…too long for this moment. If he couldn't have her like this, then he might as well not have her at all; he would be lying to her every second of the day.

After what seemed like an eternity to Jun, their lips parted, both relief and dread filling his chest.

"Well…what was that for?"

He risked a peek at her face. The girl was smirking slyly, her face flushed with bliss.

Jun swore he could fly straight to the moon that moment, fueled only by her smile. "Heh…it was for being late earlier, you Slowpoke."

"Really?" Her grin grew; she reached up on her tip-toes (he had grown much taller than her in the last few years), meeting his lips once again. The second kiss was longer than the first, with less intensity and more passion. He ran his fingers through her long hair, drawing her as close to him as he possibly could, never wanting to let her go.

When they finished, she flicked him playfully on the nose, nestling her head against his chest. "I think I need to be late _much_ more often."

* * *

**A/N: Yeeeeeeah...I fee like there should be more Twinleafshipping stuff out there, so I MADE ANOTHER STORY!**

**I dunno...I really just wanted to write a cute oneshot...so I did. I kinda was using this story to practice describing things...and this is like the only fanfiction I actually profread. XD**

**Rated T for safety...Just cause I can. OMG, I'm so pathetic. If you saw me writing this, it would be YouTube GOLD. I was squeeing during the last part. Neeways, I hope you liked it!**


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